StrictCite
An academic citation verification tool built on a deterministic engine with no generative AI components. It validates references by querying APIs of scholarly registries such as Crossref and DBLP, and identifies hallucinated citations produced by large language models.
Core Facts
Timeline (last 90 days)
StrictCite is a deterministic citation verification tool that uses absolutely no AI, developed by a computer engineering undergraduate student
The developer deliberately avoided using an LLM for verification work, because using a hallucination-prone model to verify another model's output would cause the verification step itself to be contaminated by hallucinations
The core of StrictCite is a deterministic engine that contains no generative AI components whatsoever
StrictCite parses the user's .bib (BibTeX format) files locally in the browser
StrictCite makes hard API cross-references against 13 academic registries including Crossref and DBLP
StrictCite flags missing DOIs and fabricated conference or journal venues
A deterministic engine means the same input always produces the same output, and verification results are reproducible and traceable
On the test set, StrictCite can perfectly catch completely fabricated references
StrictCite produces false positives (false alarms) for subtle differences between preprint and formally published versions
Automated verification systems are most prone to failure in edge cases such as old books, translated Russian monographs, and conference proceedings from 2003, because older literature often lacks DOIs and cross-language literature coverage varies considerably
2 more timeline events
All Facts (11)
A deterministic engine means the same input always produces the same output, and verification results are reproducible and traceable
75%UnverifiedThe developer deliberately avoided using an LLM for verification work, because using a hallucination-prone model to verify another model's output would cause the verification step itself to be contaminated by hallucinations
50%UnverifiedThe core of StrictCite is a deterministic engine that contains no generative AI components whatsoever
50%UnverifiedStrictCite parses the user's .bib (BibTeX format) files locally in the browser
50%UnverifiedStrictCite makes hard API cross-references against 13 academic registries including Crossref and DBLP
50%UnverifiedStrictCite flags missing DOIs and fabricated conference or journal venues
50%UnverifiedOn the test set, StrictCite can perfectly catch completely fabricated references
50%UnverifiedStrictCite produces false positives (false alarms) for subtle differences between preprint and formally published versions
50%UnverifiedAutomated verification systems are most prone to failure in edge cases such as old books, translated Russian monographs, and conference proceedings from 2003, because older literature often lacks DOIs and cross-language literature coverage varies considerably
50%UnverifiedStrictCite is a deterministic citation verification tool that uses absolutely no AI, developed by a computer engineering undergraduate student
50%UnverifiedThe article recommends that the verification step should use deterministic tools rather than layering another LLM on top, and that old, cross-language, or non-mainstream sources still require manual review
50%